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Thursday, October 16, 2014

Filipino Chicken Adobo done Sous Vide

Almost two years ago I tried my hand at a sous vide cooking - McGuyver style. Using just an ice chest and water boiling on the stove, I managed to cook steaks to a perfect medium rare. The trouble is, the McGuyver method means you have to babysit your sous vide for the entire time. That can be a problem if you want to sous vide something for one or two days. That's when you need the real deal equipment.

I was sent the SousVide Supreme Demi, which is a smaller sized unit and perfect for the home. For my first recipe, I took a Filipino classic and adapted it for sous vide cooking.

Filipino Chicken Adobo

1/3 c white vinegar

2 T soy sauce

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 small bay leaf

¼ t black pepper

½ c water

1 lb. chicken thighs1 T vegetable oilCombine the vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, bay leaf, pepper and water. Pour into a gallon size zip plastic bag. Add the chicken thighs. Squeeze out the air and zip/seal the bag. Refrigerate and let marinate for 8-12 hours.Fill the SousVide Supreme with water and heat to 70C.Carefully remove the chicken thighs and place into a food pouch, vacuum and seal.Place in the water bath and allow to cook for 2-4 hours.Take the marinade and pour into a small sauce pan. Simmer the marinade until it is reduced to half the amount. Save until ready to serve. (For those concerned, this will sufficiently kill any bad things.)When the chicken is done, carefully remove from the pouch and pat dry. Heat a skillet large enough to hold the thighs over medium high heat until piping hot. Add the vegetable oil into the skillet and sear the thighs, skin side down, for about a minute or two, until golden brown.

Serve the chicken and sauce over rice. Disclosure: I was given a SousVide Supreme Demi and vacuum sealer in exchange for recipe development.